To see earrings in dreams, omens good news and interesting workis before you. To see them broken, indicates that gossip of a loworder will be directed against you.... Read more of Earrings at My Dreams.ca

Little Girl's Christmas

WINNIFRED E. LINCOLN

IT WAS Christmas Eve, and Little Girl had just hung up her stocking by
the fireplace--right where it would be all ready for Santa when he
slipped down the chimney. She knew he was coming, because--well, because
it was Christmas Eve, and because he always had come to leave gifts for
her on all the other Christmas Eves that she could remember, and because
she had seen his pictures everywhere down town that afternoon when she
was out with Mother.

Still, she wasn't just satisfied. 'Way down in her heart she was a
little uncertain--you see, when you have never really and truly seen a
person with your very own eyes, it's hard to feel as if you exactly
believed in him--even though that person always has left beautiful gifts
for you every time he has come.

"Oh, he'll come," said Little Girl; "I just know he will be here before
morning, but somehow I wish----"

"Well, what do you wish?" said a Tiny Voice close by her--so close that
Little Girl fairly jumped when she heard it.

"Why, I wish I could see Santa myself. I'd just like to go and see
his house and his workshop, and ride in his sleigh, and know Mrs.
Santa--'twould be such fun, and then I'd know for sure."

"Why don't you go, then?" said Tiny Voice. "It's easy enough. Just try
on these Shoes, and take this Light in your hand, and you'll find your
way all right."

So Little Girl looked down on the hearth, and there were two cunning
little Shoes side by side, and a little Spark of a Light close to
them--just as if they were all made out of one of the glowing coals of
the wood-fire. Such cunning Shoes as they were--Little Girl could hardly
wait to pull off her slippers and try them on. They looked as if they
were too small, but they weren't--they fitted exactly right, and just as
Little Girl had put them both on and had taken the Light in her hand,
along came a little Breath of Wind, and away she went up the chimney,
along with ever so many other little Sparks, past the Soot Fairies, and
out into the Open Air, where Jack Frost and the Star Beams were all busy
at work making the world look pretty for Christmas.

Away went Little Girl--Two Shoes, Bright Light, and all--higher and
higher, until she looked like a wee bit of a star up in the sky. It was
the funniest thing, but she seemed to know the way perfectly, and didn't
have to stop to make inquiries anywhere. You see it was a straight road
all the way, and when one doesn't have to think about turning to the
right or the left, it makes things very much easier. Pretty soon Little
Girl noticed that there was a bright light all around her--oh, a very
bright light--and right away something down in her heart began to make
her feel very happy indeed. She didn't know that the Christmas spirits
and little Christmas fairies were all around her and even right inside
her, because she couldn't see a single one of them, even though her eyes
were very bright and could usually see a great deal.

But that was just it, and Little Girl felt as if she wanted to laugh and
sing and be glad. It made her remember the Sick Boy who lived next door,
and she said to herself that she would carry him one of her prettiest
picture-books in the morning, so that he could have something to make
him happy all day. By and by, when the bright light all around her had
grown very, very much brighter, Little Girl saw a path right in front of
her, all straight and trim, leading up a hill to a big, big house with
ever and ever so many windows in it. When she had gone just a bit
nearer, she saw candles in every window, red and green and yellow ones,
and every one burning brightly, so Little Girl knew right away that
these were Christmas candles to light her on her journey, and make the
way clear for her, and something told her that this was Santa's house,
and that pretty soon she would perhaps see Santa himself.

Just as she neared the steps and before she could possibly have had time
to ring the bell, the door opened--opened of itself as wide as could
be--and there stood--not Santa himself--don't think it--but a funny
Little Man with slender little legs and a roly-poly stomach which shook
every now and then when he laughed. You would have known right away,
just as Little Girl knew, that he was a very happy little man, and you
would have guessed right away, too, that the reason he was so roly-poly
was because he laughed and chuckled and smiled all the time--for it's
only sour, cross folks who are thin and skimpy. Quick as a wink, he
pulled off his little peaked red cap, smiled the broadest kind of a
smile, and said, "Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Come in! Come in!"

So in went Little Girl, holding fast to Little Man's hand, and when she
was really inside there was the jolliest, reddest fire all glowing and
snapping, and there were Little Man and all his brothers and sisters,
who said their names were "Merry Christmas," and "Good Cheer," and ever
so many other jolly-sounding things, and there were such a lot of them
that Little Girl just knew she never could count them, no matter how
long she tried.

All around her were bundles and boxes and piles of toys and games, and
Little Girl knew that these were all ready and waiting to be loaded into
Santa's big sleigh for his reindeer to whirl them away over cloud-tops
and snowdrifts to the little people down below who had left their
stockings all ready for him. Pretty soon all the little Good Cheer
Brothers began to hurry and bustle and carry out the bundles as fast as
they could to the steps where Little Girl could hear the jingling bells
and the stamping of hoofs. So Little Girl picked up some bundles and
skipped along too, for she wanted to help a bit herself--it's no fun
whatever at Christmas unless you can help, you know--and there in the
yard stood the biggest sleigh that Little Girl had ever seen, and the
reindeer were all stamping and prancing and jingling the bells on their
harnesses, because they were so eager to be on their way to the Earth
once more.

She could hardly wait for Santa to come, and just as she had begun to
wonder where he was, the door opened again and out came a whole forest
of Christmas trees, at least it looked just as if a whole forest had
started out for a walk somewhere, but a second glance showed Little Girl
that there were thousands of Christmas sprites, and that each one
carried a tree or a big Christmas wreath on his back. Behind them all,
she could hear some one laughing loudly, and talking in a big, jovial
voice that sounded as if he were good friends with the whole world.

And straightway she knew that Santa himself was coming. Little Girl's
heart went pit-a-pat for a minute while she wondered if Santa would
notice her, but she didn't have to wonder long, for he spied her at once
and said:

"Bless my soul! who's this? and where did you come from?"

Little Girl thought perhaps she might be afraid to answer him, but she
wasn't one bit afraid. You see he had such a kind little twinkle in his
eyes that she felt happy right away as she replied, "Oh, I'm Little
Girl, and I wanted so much to see Santa that I just came, and here I
am!"

"Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!" laughed Santa, "and here you are! Wanted to see
Santa, did you, and so you came! Now that's very nice, and it's too bad
I'm in such a hurry, for we should like nothing better than to show you
about and give you a real good time. But you see it is quarter of twelve
now, and I must be on my way at once, else I'll never reach that first
chimney-top by midnight. I'd call Mrs. Santa and ask her to get you some
supper, but she is busy finishing dolls' clothes which must be done
before morning, and I guess we'd better not bother her. Is there
anything that you would like, Little Girl?" and good old Santa put his
big warm hand on Little Girl's curls and she felt its warmth and
kindness clear down to her very heart. You see, my dears, that even
though Santa was in such a great hurry, he wasn't too busy to stop and
make some one happy for a minute, even if it was some one no bigger than
Little Girl.

So she smiled back into Santa's face and said: "Oh, Santa, if I could
only ride down to Earth with you behind those splendid reindeer! I'd
love to go; won't you please take me? I'm so small that I won't take
up much room on the seat, and I'll keep very still and not bother one
bit!"

Then Santa laughed, such a laugh, big and loud and rollicking, and he
said, "Wants a ride, does she? Well, well, shall we take her, Little
Elves? Shall we take her, Little Fairies? Shall we take her, Good
Reindeer?"

And all the Little Elves hopped and skipped and brought Little Girl a
sprig of holly; and all the Little Fairies bowed and smiled and brought
her a bit of mistletoe; and all the Good Reindeer jingled their bells
loudly, which meant, "Oh, yes! let's take her! She's a good Little Girl!
Let her ride!" And before Little Girl could even think, she found
herself all tucked up in the big fur robes beside Santa, and away they
went, right out into the air, over the clouds, through the Milky Way,
and right under the very handle of the Big Dipper, on, on, toward the
Earthland, whose lights Little Girl began to see twinkling away down
below her. Presently she felt the runners scrape upon something, and she
knew they must be on some one's roof, and that Santa would slip down
some one's chimney in a minute.

How she wanted to go, too! You see if you had never been down a chimney
and seen Santa fill up the stockings, you would want to go quite as much
as Little Girl did, now, wouldn't you? So, just as Little Girl was
wishing as hard as ever she could wish, she heard a Tiny Voice say,
"Hold tight to his arm! Hold tight to his arm!" So she held Santa's arm
tight and close, and he shouldered his pack, never thinking that it was
heavier than usual, and with a bound and a slide, there they were,
Santa, Little Girl, pack and all, right in the middle of a room where
there was a fireplace and stockings all hung up for Santa to fill.

Just then Santa noticed Little Girl. He had forgotten all about her for
a minute, and he was very much surprised to find that she had come, too.
"Bless my soul!" he said, "where did you come from, Little Girl? and how
in the world can we both get back up that chimney again? It's easy
enough to slide down, but it's quite another matter to climb up again!"
and Santa looked real worried. But Little Girl was beginning to feel
very tired by this time, for she had had a very exciting evening, so she
said, "Oh, never mind me, Santa. I've had such a good time, and I'd just
as soon stay here a while as not. I believe I'll curl up on this
hearth-rug a few minutes and have a little nap, for it looks as warm and
cozy as our own hearth-rug at home, and--why, it is our own hearth and
it's my own nursery, for there is Teddy Bear in his chair where I leave
him every night, and there's Bunny Cat curled up on his cushion in the
corner."

And Little Girl turned to thank Santa and say good-bye to him, but
either he had gone very quickly, or else she had fallen asleep very
quickly--she never could tell which--for the next thing she knew, Daddy
was holding her in his arms and was saying, "What is my Little Girl
doing here? She must go to bed, for it's Christmas Eve, and old Santa
won't come if he thinks there are any little folks about."

But Little Girl knew better than that, and when she began to tell him
all about it, and how the Christmas fairies had welcomed her, and how
Santa had given her such a fine ride, Daddy laughed and laughed, and
said, "You've been dreaming, Little Girl, you've been dreaming."

But Little Girl knew better than that, too, for there on the hearth was
the little Black Coal, which had given her Two Shoes and Bright Light,
and tight in her hand she held a holly berry which one of the Christmas
Sprites had placed there. More than all that, there she was on the
hearth-rug herself, just as Santa had left her, and that was the best
proof of all.

The trouble was, Daddy himself had never been a Little Girl, so he
couldn't tell anything about it, but we know she hadn't been dreaming,
now, don't we, my dears?